postgresql/doc/src/sgml/adminpack.sgml

<!-- doc/src/sgml/adminpack.sgml -->

<sect1 id="adminpack" xreflabel="adminpack">
 <title>adminpack</title>

 <indexterm zone="adminpack">
  <primary>adminpack</primary>
 </indexterm>

 <para>
  <filename>adminpack</> provides a number of support functions which
  <application>pgAdmin</> and other administration and management tools can
  use to provide additional functionality, such as remote management
  of server log files.
  Use of all these functions is restricted to superusers.
 </para>

 <para>
  The functions shown in <xref linkend="functions-adminpack-table"> provide
  write access to files on the machine hosting the server.  (See also the
  functions in <xref linkend="functions-admin-genfile-table">, which
  provide read-only access.)
  Only files within the database cluster directory can be accessed, but
  either a relative or absolute path is allowable.
 </para>

 <table id="functions-adminpack-table">
  <title><filename>adminpack</> Functions</title>
  <tgroup cols="3">
   <thead>
    <row><entry>Name</entry> <entry>Return Type</entry> <entry>Description</entry>
    </row>
   </thead>

   <tbody>
    <row>
     <entry><function>pg_catalog.pg_file_write(filename text, data text, append boolean)</function></entry>
     <entry><type>bigint</type></entry>
     <entry>
      Write, or append to, a text file
     </entry>
    </row>
    <row>
     <entry><function>pg_catalog.pg_file_rename(oldname text, newname text <optional>, archivename text</optional>)</function></entry>
     <entry><type>boolean</type></entry>
     <entry>
      Rename a file
     </entry>
    </row>
    <row>
     <entry><function>pg_catalog.pg_file_unlink(filename text)</function></entry>
     <entry><type>boolean</type></entry>
     <entry>
      Remove a file
     </entry>
    </row>
    <row>
     <entry><function>pg_catalog.pg_logdir_ls()</function></entry>
     <entry><type>setof record</type></entry>
     <entry>
      List the log files in the <varname>log_directory</> directory
     </entry>
    </row>
   </tbody>
  </tgroup>
 </table>

 <indexterm>
  <primary>pg_file_write</primary>
 </indexterm>
 <para>
  <function>pg_file_write</> writes the specified <parameter>data</> into
  the file named by <parameter>filename</>.  If <parameter>append</> is
  false, the file must not already exist.  If <parameter>append</> is true,
  the file can already exist, and will be appended to if so.
  Returns the number of bytes written.
 </para>

 <indexterm>
  <primary>pg_file_rename</primary>
 </indexterm>
 <para>
  <function>pg_file_rename</> renames a file.  If <parameter>archivename</>
  is omitted or NULL, it simply renames <parameter>oldname</>
  to <parameter>newname</> (which must not already exist).
  If <parameter>archivename</> is provided, it first
  renames <parameter>newname</> to <parameter>archivename</> (which must
  not already exist), and then renames <parameter>oldname</>
  to <parameter>newname</>.  In event of failure of the second rename step,
  it will try to rename <parameter>archivename</> back
  to <parameter>newname</> before reporting the error.
  Returns true on success, false if the source file(s) are not present or
  not writable; other cases throw errors.
 </para>

 <indexterm>
  <primary>pg_file_unlink</primary>
 </indexterm>
 <para>
  <function>pg_file_unlink</> removes the specified file.
  Returns true on success, false if the specified file is not present
  or the <function>unlink()</> call fails; other cases throw errors.
 </para>

 <indexterm>
  <primary>pg_logdir_ls</primary>
 </indexterm>
 <para>
  <function>pg_logdir_ls</> returns the start timestamps and path
  names of all the log files in the <xref linkend="guc-log-directory">
  directory.  The <xref linkend="guc-log-filename"> parameter must have its
  default setting (<literal>postgresql-%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S.log</>) to use this
  function.
 </para>

 <para>
  The functions shown
  in <xref linkend="functions-adminpack-deprecated-table"> are deprecated
  and should not be used in new applications; instead use those shown
  in <xref linkend="functions-admin-signal-table">
  and <xref linkend="functions-admin-genfile-table">.  These functions are
  provided in <filename>adminpack</> only for compatibility with old
  versions of <application>pgAdmin</>.
 </para>

 <table id="functions-adminpack-deprecated-table">
  <title>Deprecated <filename>adminpack</> Functions</title>
  <tgroup cols="3">
   <thead>
    <row><entry>Name</entry> <entry>Return Type</entry> <entry>Description</entry>
    </row>
   </thead>

   <tbody>
    <row>
     <entry><function>pg_catalog.pg_file_read(filename text, offset bigint, nbytes bigint)</function></entry>
     <entry><type>text</type></entry>
     <entry>
      Alternate name for <function>pg_read_file()</>
     </entry>
    </row>
    <row>
     <entry><function>pg_catalog.pg_file_length(filename text)</function></entry>
     <entry><type>bigint</type></entry>
     <entry>
      Same as <structfield>size</> column returned
      by <function>pg_stat_file()</>
     </entry>
    </row>
    <row>
     <entry><function>pg_catalog.pg_logfile_rotate()</function></entry>
     <entry><type>integer</type></entry>
     <entry>
      Alternate name for <function>pg_rotate_logfile()</>, but note that it
      returns integer 0 or 1 rather than boolean
     </entry>
    </row>
   </tbody>
  </tgroup>
 </table>

</sect1>